TRANSLATION OF DOCUMENT 407-IX-PS

The Commissioner for the Four Year Plan The Plenipotentiary for the Arbeitseinsatz
Berlin W8, 3 June 1943
1751/43 [pencilled] ab 6/4/43 To the Fuehrer of Greater Germany The Fuehrer's Hq My Fuehrer!
I beg to be permitted to report to you on the situation of the Arbeitseinsatz for the first 5 months of 1943.
For the first time the following number of new foreign laborers and Prisoners of War were employed in the German war industry:
January 1943 February 1943 March 1943 April 1943 May 1943
— 120,085 —138,354
— 257,382
— 160,535
— 170,155
Total —846,511
I may remark that this number of 850,000 was reached only after greatest difficulties were overcome which had not existed during the previous year; all those who have worked for the Arbeitseinsatz, particularly in the occupied territories, did so with the greatest fanaticism and devotion.
Unfortunately quite a number of our officials and employees were victims of murders and attacks by partisans.
Besides those labor forces recruited for work within the Reich, several hundred thousand laborers were recruited in the occupied territories through the agencies for the Arbeitseinsatz as well as through the OT and the factories working in the East and the West for the German war industry. Furthermore the Wehrmacht received a large number of laborers as well as labor volunteers.
Moreover, because of the order dated 27 January 1943 requiring everybody to register, the following numbers of men and women were made available:
Men Women Total
February.... 14,594 163,012 177,606
March....... 45,606 494,931 540,537
April....... 19,315 269,374 288,689
May......... 11,405 186,683 198,168
Total '... 91,000 1,114,000 1,205,000
Of these approximately 800,000 are available only for less than 48 hours of work per week.
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407—IX—PS
Altogether, German war industry during the first 5 months of 1943 recruited more than 2,000,000 laborers.
Furthermore, negotiations resulted in agreements and regulations on the following points : Wage control and increased production in the various European territories especially in France, which enabled us to keep wages in the occupied European territories on a reasonable level, to stabilize living conditions of foreign laborers working for Germany in spite of the difficult conditions of war, to increase production by means of wage control in these territories. These measures were carried out in agreement with industrial and farming authorities as well as with the Commissioner of the Reich for the control of prices.
Heil !
Your obedient and faithful
Signed: Sauckel